Community members and others who call the non-emergency lines of the Berkeley Police Department (510-981-5900), will now be assisted by an automated attendant that will quickly get the caller to their correct destination—allowing staff and emergency center dispatchers to more efficiently handle calls for service. Every day, the Public Safety Communications Center manages over 1,300 calls for service. This new answering system is intended to allow callers to get the information they seek more quickly while at the same time freeing emergency dispatchers to complete other tasks.
This new system will not impact our 9-1-1 system, which allows callers who dial 9-1-1 from Berkeley landlines to be directly connected to the Public Safety Communications Center.
This new system will also not affect cell phone callers who make Emergency calls to 510-981-5911 (direct number for emergency 9-1-1) to be routed directly to our Public Safety Communications Center, rather than going through CHP.
The automated phone attendant will have the ability to provide you with various forms of information—including options for a wide range of services. The service is available 24 hours a day and it will quickly get the caller to the appropriate person who can help them. The Department will continue to monitor the effectiveness of this new system and we hope that you will be pleased with this new assistance.
The system went online this morning. Those needing to talk to a dispatcher for a Non-Emergency police, fire, or medical response will be able to do so through this attendant.
As always, we encourage anyone with an emergency threat to life, safety or property to call 9-1-1 for immediate connection to our Public Safety Communications Center.
